Yesterday, National Public Radio had an interview with artist Caitlin Phillips who makes purses out of discarded books.

Like most of us, Phillips was hesitant initially to cut books apart. But a job in a used bookstore opened her eyes to the huge numbers of out-of-date and damaged books that end up in dumpsters every year.

“It kills me to throw anything away,” Phillips says, “and throwing a book away just seems like the worst thing ever.”

Recyling books into art isn’t new, but creating purses out of discarded books has brought altered books into the mainstream. The Friends of the Kirkwood (MO) Public Library even sell book purses as a fundraising tool. 

TSCPL has joined the fun too. Kate Hughes and I have presented altered books programs at the library for the last 2 years, and are already planning another program for August. Stay tuned for more details on that. In the meantime, check out photos from the 2007 and 2008 altered book projects at TSCPL.